On January 23, 2014, a Harford County jury found Kayla Marie Barker, 25, of Aberdeen, guilty of First Degree Child Abuse and Neglect of a Minor after 2½ hours of deliberation.

The evidence presented over the course of three days of testimony was that Barker had repeatedly beat her 8 month old daughter in the head on April 17, 2012, causing multiple skull fractures, because the child would not stop crying. The child was taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and was determined to have been abused and then transferred to Johns Hopkins where the abuse was confirmed by the child crisis team there. The child has recovered and was placed in foster care.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy State’s Attorney Diana A. Brooks and investigated by the Harford County Child Advocacy Center, lead investigator was Detective Carey Gerres who was assisted by Detective Joe Dugan of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. The State’s Attorney’s Office commends Detectives Gerres and Dugan for their fine investigation.

Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. The Defendant faces a maximum of thirty years.

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I bet she doesn’t get the max. She will probably get a suspended sentence. This is totally disgusting that an 8 month old was abused because she was sick of the baby crying. What do 8 months old do? Im sure the mother thought she was going to be cleared of the charges. I hope the daughter now lives with a family that will love her and never has contact with the lady who was supposed to be a protector, but instead became the abuser.

K I just came home from hcdc I was locked up 7mo she been beaten up few times and is in lock down unit also shr probably looking atb15-20 she served year some change in hcdc so she get credit for it she go to doc with rest of baby abusers n killers u get 3 months off evety year in doc she is douche bag and I have myself spit in her face 2 peiced her big fatt ass she is fat by way got my goodtime taken …n when she came back from court

Since the crime was committed in Har. Co. she might get a few years. In Balto. City she would serve a few hours and be given a free cell phone to call her free psychologist after she eats her free lunch.

Hydsmann, you are absolutely right. And to add to that, unfortunately for the baby, this state’s priority is reuniting the child with het biological patents, despite the fact that she was abused in this way by her own mother. It takes a lot to terminate a parents rights in Maryland and children have died because of it. So, the mother will be given some therapy, free of course, and case managed by child protective services with the rest of their large caseload. She will probably get other free stuff, and participate because she has to, but because she wants to lessen better parenting skills and ways of coping with her stress. The system is fraught with flaws and rewards/coddles the abuser at the expense of the child. Sickening.

Parental reunification ended up not being the state’s outcome. She won’t be receiving anything from social services when she gets out. She’ll have to petition the court’s for visitation like any other absent parent. You can all actually rest easy that justice is being served and everything worked the way it should in this case.

The “record(s)” clearly show she has been an upstanding citizen in the eye’s of the liberal courts. Heck, it’s less than one page folks! Now leave OWE’Malley’s kids alone and show some respect. But on a serious note, she will get the child back and the very innocent child will be subject to this again and again and again and ……… So sad. A soul will be lost to the …….

he most important thing is that both of her daughters are safe in the care of family members and doing well. We will take it one day at a time as we have been and hope that they have a future full of love and happy memories. As a grandmother to one of Kayla’s daughters i can say that i am truly shocked that she did this. In the 3 yrs that i knew Kayla i would never have thought she was capable of being violent to either of her girls. It brakes my heart to know that her baby girl suffered so much pain from the one person in the world that was suppose to put her own life on the line to protect to her. I am happy that her younger daughter got the justice she deserved. But i do hope that people think before they comment….some days these two little girls with grow up and may see the very cruel things that are spoken. Not that they aren’t in there right to have a opinion but they will be overwhelmed with there own emotions at that time and i would hope that strangers wouldn’t add to the pain and confusion.

That’s part of the problem, there is so much minimalizing of these kinds of things, that without serious mental health care, this mother is at risk for repeating her actions and when a child is put in kinship care (living with relatives) and still has access to the child, bad things still happen. A skull fracture is a serious thing and I wouldn’t even think about “justice.” This child may have irreprable damage to her brain which could affect her the rest of her life. I wouldn’t worry about the child one day reading these posts, as she will likely find out well before, that her own mother bashed her skull in. It is time we talk about child maltreatment for what it is and find out ways to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Thanks Missy for the update. When it’s posted “public”, many will weigh in, me included. Believe most Americans have had enough of this when innocent children are involved. Then others must step in to protect the child(ren) from supposedly grown adults only to have the innocent returned to their parent. She has 2 children? Oh lord. Has/have the Dad’s/”Fathers” stepped up to their responsibilities or are they also housed via the taxpayer?

The baby is doing well and her aunt has FULL custody of her, not kinship care. The mother will have to petition the courts when she get’s out like an absent parent. D.S.S will do nothing for her as her case is closed with them. The older child is with her father and always will be. Through love and stability both of these girls will have the chance at life they deserved from the beginning.

I was also locked up with kayla barker. Everyone who is “speaking their opinion” that’s fine. But I believe you shouldn’t judge because there’s always three sides to every story. She wasn’t the only person in that household. & I don’t think anyone knows all of the information. I , on the other hand , read every last piece of her paperwork.

Like i said there is always three sides to every story… hers , his , & the truth.

Well Kat I agree with you but after sitting through her trial for 3 days any doubt I had disappeared when she took the stand… she is where she should be for hurting my niece and I will stand by that till the day I die.